# Accident 19990604006509A: Gulstm 500RKWELL, Effingham, IL, June 4, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 4, 1999, 09:30 local time
- Place: Effingham, IL
- Airport: Effingham County Memorial Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.1102° N, 88.5501° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.1102&lon=-88.5501&mi=10
- Aircraft: N711NE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N711NE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aero Commander 500 (registry code 0141102, https://openairdocs.org/model/aero-commander-500) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GULSTM 500RKWELL
- Reported engine: LYC O540A2B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA173) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990604006509A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING. (.19)ON JUNE 4, 1999, AT 0930 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AERO COMMANDER 500, N711NE, OWNED AND PILOTED BY A PRIVAT PILOT, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A WHEELS-UP LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 (5,100 FEET X 75 FEET DRY/CONCRETE) AT EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT, EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.  THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS OPERATING ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULE (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN.  THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJUIRES.  THE BUSINESS FLIGHT ORIGINATED SUMNER COUNTY REGINAL AIRPORT, GALLATIN, TENNESSEE EN ROUTE TO EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN HE HAD LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND COMPLETED A CHECKLIST CONSISTING OF SEVEN ITEMS, ONE OF WHICH WAS THE LANDING GEAR.  HE STATED THAT ON THE BASE LEG HE BEGAN TO ADD FLAPS.  HE REPORTED THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAYS CENTERLINE; AT HIGH POINT, HE BEGAN TO HEAR A LOW VIBRATION.  HE ADDED THAT WHEN THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDED TO THE IDLE POSITION, THE GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED WHICH HE INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS THE STALL WARNING HORN.  THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE AIRCRAFT'S RECOVERY, HE HAD SELECTED THA MASTER SWITCH TO THE "ON" POSITION, AND THE LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED. HE THEN STATED THAT WHEN HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED.  THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE PLACEMENT OF THE FLAP CONTROL AND LANDING GEAR CONTROL AS BEING SEPARATED BY A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY FIVE INCHES.                                                     (-23) ON JUNE 4 AT APPROXIMATELY 0930, WHILE ON A PERSONAL BUSINESS FLIGHT THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 AT EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT.  THE FIRST THING THE PILOT NOTICED UPON TOUCHDOWN WAS A SCRAPING NOISE.  THE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT, EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND NOTICED THE LANDING GEAR COMPLETELY UP IN THE WHEEL WELLS.  THE PILOT IN COMMAND RE-ENTERED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IN THE UP POSITION.  HE THEN PLACED IT IN THE DOWN POSITION AND THE LANDING GEAR DROPPED OUT OF THE WELLS.  WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY THE LANDING GEAR CONTINUED TO FREE FALL TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI99LA173](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA173), Jun 4, 1999: Aero Commander 500 (N711NE), Effingham, IL, substantial damage. Probable cause: inadvertent wheels-up landing and the checklist not followed by the pilot. The landing gear lever not engaged was an additional cause.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.